Receptacle



Jan. 26, 1943. J. J. MORGAN 2,309,134

RECEPTACLE Filed Sept. 12, 1940 A? L /i J INVENTQR.

Patented Jan. 26, 1943 RECEP'IACLE James J. Morgan, Hampden,

Mass., assignor to General Fibre Box Company, West Springfield,

Mass, a corporation of Application September 12, 1940, Serial No. 356,428 1 (Cl. 229-52) This invention relates to improvements in shipping boxes or cases and is directed more particularly to the provision of a novel case or carton especially adapted for repeated use.

That is to say, the case may be shipped by a produce man, for example, to its destination, the contents removed therefrom, and then returned to the producer for refilling and reshipping. As will be obvious, economy is thus effected and, because of their special construction, the cases or boxes may be easily piled upon one another when filled and while performing their carrying function, and may be as easily stacked in nested relation when empty in such a way as to facilitate economical and safe return for use again.

A special feature of the invention is that the box is particularly capable of permitting facile and efiicient shipment of such perishable and bulky articles as bunches of bananas, for instance. Such articles are not only diflicultto handle in transport but must be treated with considerable care and, preferably, ventilated to some extent.

According to this invention, there is provided I! a receptacle or container distinctively formed to efliciently accommodate a bunch or bunches of bananas which, as is well known, are of an unusual and irregular size and shape. As special features, the receptacle is strengthened or reinforced at the proper places so as to prevent collapse of the same and possible injury to its contents and, also, it is more or less ventilated.

As a still further object of the invention I provide a unitary box-forming blank which may be delivered to the producer or grower in a flat condition, thereby saving space and expense in shipment, and which may be readily set up into shipping or containing position by said producer or grower, the-construction of said set-up containers being such that a plurality thereof may I be nested, after being emptied, so as to be economically and easily returned for their reuse. As a special feature, too, the receptacle of the invention preferably has a cover integral with the body thereof which makes for proper protection for the contents and also means that the permanently attached cover does-not become lost but is always available when the repeat use of the carton is desired.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be Delaware hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claim hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional'viewthrough the box or receptacle of the invention in open position;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the receptacle in open position, with dot-dash lines to explain certain features of the invention;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view showing how the filled boxes may be stacked for shipping purposes; and

Fig. 5 is an elevational'view to show how the emptied cartons may be returned for refilling.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail,

the invention will be fully described.

As stated, the receptacle of the invention is preferably formed from a unitary or single blank of fibre or so-called corrugated board; While the particular material employed may obviously vary, the sheet material mentioned is especially suitable since it is economical, sufficiently strong, and bendable at desired places while at the same time not readily distortable at places where such is not desired;

The preferred form of the blank of the invention is indicated generally by 2 and consists of a sheet of material cut and scored, or marked off, to have a central panel 4. The latter, as will appear, serves as the bottom wall of the box or case and, while preferably rectangular, may obviously vary in shape, as well as size.

Extending outwardly from opposite sides of the bottom wall are side walls 6, preferably of equal size and shape as she Cover-forming flaps 8 extend outwardly from the outer marginal edges of the side walls and the formation and function or operation of the cover will be later described more in detail.

End wall members I extend outwardly from the opposite end edges of the bottom wall while end flaps it are hinged to opposite ends of the side walls 6. As shown the blank is cut so that the parts In and I2 are not directly connected but are relatively movable into adjacency in a manner to be explained.

Hinged to and extending from the side marginal edges of flaps 12 are cover flaps i4. These are for folding over into a horizontal plane when the box is in set-up position and preferably are, when in said position, underlying the parts 8 which are folded inwardly. towards one another as shown in Fig. 4.

of a blank embodying the y relation thereto that when the box is in set-up position it coincides with the opening l0, while the other of the walls or parts i2 at each end of the box is provided with a slot or slit l8 formed as to provide a bendable flap 20.

' The various parts of the blank or sheet from which the box or receptacle is preferably formed having been described, the method of setting up the receptacle into carrying condition will now be explained.

The side walls 6 are folded upwardly along the scored lines shown to be at an angle, preferably greater than 90, to the horizontal bottom wall 4 and the end walls Ill areiturned into vertical positions, usually at slightly greater than right angles to the member 4. The end flaps l2 may then be folded inwardly along the hinges connecting them with the walls 8 to lie adjacent the outsides of end members I0.

It will be understood that the construction of the box is usually the same at each end thereof. In setting up the container, those end flaps I2 havingthe openings ii! are folded into adjacency with the outside of end walls to and then the other flaps l2 are folded in to lie against the outside of the others.

The arrangement is such that when the parts are so related the openings [8 coincide with holes is and the flaps or tabs may be bent inwardly and upwardly so as to extend into the coinciding openings, as is indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. As is shown, the tabs 20 may serve to engage and hold the overlapping, or adjacently-disposed, parts above referred to in desired relation.

As was explained above it is intended for purposes of economy that the blanks be shipped to the customer in flat relation. The purchaser then may set the boxes up in the manner described and shown in Figs. 2 and 3 so as to pack or dispose therein the desired contents.

After this, he needs merely to fold parts It inwardly and bend cover parts 8 thereover. It will.

be noted that there is thus provided a cover member integral with the container and the arrangement is such that the filled boxes may be easily stacked or piled up, as shown in Fig. 4, without need for any special sealing or securing of separate covers.

Furthermore, when the boxes have been used for transportation of goods, they may be returned for re-use in nested relation as shown in Fig. 5. This saves space and is obviously more economical than the usual practice where crates, for example, are employed.

It will be appreciated that the parts l2 may be secured to the walls l0, when the box is in set-up position, by any suitable means such as so-called stitching, stapling, adhesive or the like. The triple-ply end walls, composed of a member In and a pair of overlapping parts l2, provide sturdy reinforcement for the box and assure that the stalk of the banana bunch, for'example, will not puncture it when shifting endwise, as it invariably will during shipment.

Manifestly the specific details of construction may be considerably varied from those herein shown and described without involving any departure from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages inherent therein. While I have described my invention in this specification in great detail and particularly with respect to the present preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since many changes and modifications may be made therein without deparing from th spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the ap pended claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A unitary ioldable blank of corrugated fibre board or the like for setting up into a unitary foldable box including a substantially rectangular bottom wall, side walls extending outwardly from opposite side marginal edges of said bottom wall, end walls extending outwardly from opposite end marginal edges of said bottom wall, and flaps extending from opposite end marginal edges of said side walls, cover members extending from the outer marginal edges of said side walls, andcover flaps extending from the outer side marginal edges of said end flaps, each of said flaps and walls and members being integral with but hinged to the part from which it extends and otherwise free of connection with the other parts, each of said end walls being provided with an opening therethrough, having a continuous marginal edge, one of said end flaps at each end of the blank being provided with an opening therethrough which is similar to said opening and coincidable therewith when the boxis in set-up position and the other of said end flaps at each end of the blank being provided with a slit therein which forms an integral bendable tab which coincides with said openings when the box is in set-up position for extending through said openings.

JAMES J. MORGAN. 

